Scott Darling

A dozen years ago, you could've heard a pin drop in the United Center this late in the Blackhawks' season. Heck, you could've heard a pin drop in many of the regular season games for the Blackhawks in those days, because the United Center was often more empty than full in the bleak years between the "Jeremy Roenick days" and the modern Blackhawks era.

While the attendance statistics from the past fifteen years show that the Blackhawks have averaged over 15,000/game attendance every year (except 2006-07, when it was 14,706), it often didn't feel like there were that many fans in the stands in those days. Some games, the attendance figures were in the mi...

There's a well-known Stanley Cup ad from a few years ago titled "No Words". In it, grizzled, dazed hockey players fumble for words, shake their heads, and fight off tears as they struggle to express what winning hockey's Holy Grail means to them.

And only the players will ever truly know what it feels like to win the Stanley Cup. The iconic trophy is often referred to as "the most difficult trophy to win in sports", and "No Words" illustrate why. The NHL playoffs are a battle of attrition - sixteen teams whittled down over two months to the final two, who meet up in a winner-take-all, no-holds-barred, best-of-seven. You can see how much the...

It was a very good night for the Blackhawks, and not just on their home ice.

First, the Blackhawks won again - and did so in the assertive kind of fashion that Chicago fans have come to expect. It was playoff-level hockey against the Los Angeles Kings, the defending Stanley Cup champs who are desperate to hold on to a playoff position. Unfortunately for the Kings, not only did they lose to Chicago, but across their division, the Flames beat the Stars 5-3 for a regulation win, widening the gap that the Kings need to make up.

Secondly, the Blackhawks looked confident in this win. The lines were clicking. T euvo Teräväinen, playing on the so-called 'fou...

On the bright side, the Chicago Blackhawks won the final game of their eight-game homestand versus the Florida Panthers, and took two much-needed points. The bad news is much worse.

Just 7:49 into the first period, Alex Petrovic cross-checked Patrick Kane near the boards, and Kane left the ice in obvious pain, retreating immediately to the team locker room. He did not return to the game after sustaining an "upper body injury".

Jonathan Toews opened the scoring for Chicago with a power play goal midway through the first. It would take until late in the second for the Blackhawks to stretch the lead to 2-0 on a Kris Versteeg goal.

The Islanders will host the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum as they will look to snap their three-game losing streak. It will be a daunting task for the Isles against the Central Division-leading Blackhawks who bring a 20-8-1 record into tonight's matchup.

The Blackhawks (20-8-1) will face a familiar friend when they face off against the NY Islanders (19-10-0) for the first time this season on Saturday night: defenseman Nick Leddy, who was traded to the NYI earlier this year.

Leddy was drafted by the Wild, and was traded to the Blackhawks, where he played 258 games and with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2013. Leddy has 5 goals, 9 assists in 29 games this season, and seems to be doing well for the Islanders, playing on the top defensive pairing, and averaging several more minutes per game than he did with Chicago. It will be Leddy's first game against his former team.

The Hawks game against the Bruins on Thursday night was a case of good news, bad news for the team.

On the bright side, the Hawks held on despite a third-period surge from the Bruins to win their eighth straight game and remain undefeated in December. Klas Dahlbeck also scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring for the Hawks after a slick pass from Ben Smith.

The Hawks continue their three-game swing through the Eastern conference as they face off against the Boston Bruins tonight in TD Gardens. Once one of hockey’s most fearsome teams, the Bruins are still a formidable opponent, but injuries and sickness has taken a toll on the team, and Boston sits fifth in the Atlantic division, clinging to the final wild card playoff spot.

The Bruins are in desperate need for a win against the NHL’s hottest team. After com...

The Hawks have been trailing in the Central Division all year and chasing some other teams. Coming into the Bridgestone Arena, the Hawks had the opportunity to not only catch the division leading team but to surpass them and take over for the first time this season as the Central Division leader and seize the opportunity they did.

The Hawks had Scott Darling in between the pipes since being recalled from Rockford and he has not cooled off at all. He was really challenged in both the first and third periods. He stopped 32 of 33 shots on goal with a .970 save percentage and looked very strong.

The game also saw Klas Dahlbeck make his NHL debut on the blue line for the Hawks and ...

Wednesday is one of those highly important Central division showdown games: second-place St. Louis (16-6-2) visits third-place Chicago (15-8-1). The two teams last faced each other on October 25th at the Scottrade Center.

The Blues have been very good on the road, going 7-3-1 thus far this season. Here's the quirk: they're managing a measly 2.18 G/G on the road, versus 3.00 G/G at home. It's worth keeping an eye on young Vladmir Tarasenko of the Blues, who's evolving into a dynamic scorer (14G, 12A in 24 games) and a possession leader on a team that hasn't historically been known for its offensive punch.